Hunter-Reay Hot in Detroit, Fresh Off Indy 500 Win

Andretti Autosport driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay, was one of the last cars to take the track in this morning’s practice session on Belle Isle for the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit, but man does he know how to make a fashionably-late entrance! He came out strong, grabbing the top of the timing charts with a 1:20.1399, 23 minutes into practice. He continued to linger in the Top 5 for most of the last half and then shot to the top of the boards again to dominate the session with a 1:18.8595, with Dale Coyne Racing’s Justin Wilson and Team Penske’s Helio Castoneves clocking second and third fastest laps, respectively.

Hunter-Reay who has been known to “drive it like he stole it” with his steady hand and passionate enthusiasm for the sport, remarked, “Everytime you’re in a race, you should be finishing on the podium. You’ve got to take advantage of that opportunity.” Now, obviously there are far more drivers than podium spots, but Hunter-Reay has been pretty consistent with having that goal reach fruition. He has found himself on the podium in 4 of the 5 races this season – 2 of which were at the very top with the victory (Honda Grand Prix of Alabama in April & The Indianapolis 500 this past weekend).

The driver of the #28 DHL Honda certainly enjoys the view from up there… should be interesting to see if he can find himself there this weekend, and possibly more than once! Will he be able to increase his points advantage the way Scott Dixon did during the doubleheader weekend in Toronto last year? That kind of sweep can sometimes be the difference in clinching the Championship later in the season. Points leader, Hunter-Reay is no stranger to that battle either – having won the IndyCar Series Championship in 2012.

The next practice session is scheduled for this afternoon at 3:20pm EST. If you aren’t here on Belle Isle to watch it in person, make sure to follow along here.